Pepper was right
by EllaWorm12
Summary: It's movie night in Avenger's Tower, but Pepper isn't here to supervise. Major 'Les Miserables' spoilers!


***Hey! Enjoy! I don't own any of the characters or **_**Les Miserables**_**, though I love both *******

Pepper was right.

She almost always was, but they never listened. In a room of geniuses and ninjas, she was the only one who could predict the disastrous ends to any of the endeavors they insisted would be epic. But the Avengers never listened. It was like she was a mom, telling her teenagers not to do something- it just made them want to do it more. Actually, that's exactly what it was.

So when Tony submitted _Les Miserables_ for movie night and she adamantly denied it, there was slim chance of him actually listening. It didn't matter that she had researched the movie, that she had read every overprotective parent review the internet, that she had carefully weighed the Avenger's stone walls of emotion against their broken pasts- what mattered was that she said no. More than just say no, she had expressly _forbidden_ Tony from bringing the movie up to any of his friends.

But when had Tony ever been known to listen? Besides, Pepper had to be in Las Angeles for a meeting and wouldn't be home until late, so she would never know, right?

"Hey, guys!" Tony called to the Avengers.

They had assembled, as was movie night custom, in the main living room. Gigantic buckets of popcorn had been distributed, and everyone had arrived on time and sprawled onto the couches, chairs, and floor. On the right end of the couch was Clint Barton, his legs propped on the automan and his (partner? Best friend? Girlfriend? No one really knew, and no one really wanted to risk asking) Natasha Romanoff's head was in his lap. Her legs were resting on Steve Roger's lap. On Steve's left, sitting up normally with his arms crossed, was Bruce. Thor and Jane were, as usual, were curled in one of the arm chairs. Sam and Darcy had been banished to the floor, where they were hogging several pillows and an entire bucket of popcorn.

Tony stood in front of the TV, holding tonight's selection of movies. "Ok." He started. "We can either watch what Pepper suggested, _Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark_-"

Natasha groaned loudly at the same time that Clint grinned. "No!" she said, "I've seen that _way_ too many times." Clint glared at her, smirking at the same time.

"OR," Tony said loudly, annoyed at being interrupted, "we can watch the one Pepper thinks we can't handle- _Les Miserables_."

Tony watches the reactions on his friend's faces. "That's supposed to be really good." Darcy offers from the floor.

"Won some awards." Steve says quietly.

"Let's do it!" Sam calls. The Bruce shrugs, Clint nods, and Tony grins and pops the movie into the player. Falling into the last empty armchair, he skips through the previews and hits play.

Obviously, they realized fairly quickly that Pepper had rejected the movie for a very good reason.

It starts with Steve, Bruce, and Thor, simultaneously wincing at the injustice of someone being imprisoned for years for stealing bread to feed starving children.

Then they marveled at the Bishop's kindness and mercy. Next on the emotional roller coaster was Fantine's descent into prostitution and death, which made everyone profoundly uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, Clint was the first to show signs of emotionally breaking, as he watched Cosette's time with the abusive Thénardiers. He let Natasha cover his hand and set it over her heart, and didn't start to calm down until Valjean carried her away to a happy home.

Both Steve and Sam glare at Javert for the majority of the movie, angry at him because he was the antagonist and would ruin Valjean's and Cosette's lives, but angrily understanding his belief that he was fighting for justice. They both watch the young revolutionaries with mingled admiration and dread, especially little Gavroche.

Jane, Darcy, and Natasha all look annoyed with the Marius's obliviousness at Éponine's love for him, which Tony finds amusing. Natasha snorts at the prospect of love at first sight and then lovers torn apart, but Jane and Darcy enjoy the romantic clichés.

Clint looks nervously at Natasha when Éponine joins the revolution disguised as a man, both of them already predicting, but she doesn't show any reaction.

It's not until the fight at the funeral procession that Jane starts to realize why Pepper had forbid them from watching the movie. She catches Bruce's eye, and he seems to have had the same thought. As the Parisians rally, the barricades are thrown together, and the young revolutionaries roar with determination, every one of the warriors look tense and uneasy.

The tears start when Éponine dies saving Marius- Darcy, Jane, Bruce, Tony, and- shockingly- both Natasha and Clint let them fall, though everyone but Darcy tries to hide it. She sobs loudly and snatches the tissue box Sam offers her.

Everyone groans when Valjean joins the revolutionaries to protect Marius. When he allows Javert to escape, no one seems to understand but Thor and Steve, and maybe Bruce, though he's trying not to focus on the movie too much at all, because he can feel the other guy's restlessness.

Everyone loses it when the revolutionaries fight to the death. Bruce grabs Steve's hand and holds on like his life depends on it, unsure of whether it's for the soldier's support or his own (but Steve's hold is just as tight). Darcy wraps an arm around Sam as the boys die together, and then extends a hand to a stunned Tony, who accepts quickly. Thor winces with each gunshot, and squeezes Jane tighter against him as she shuts her eyes. Clint and Natasha hold onto each other and cry silently.

No one can handle Gavroche's death. Every last one of them sobs uncontrollably and unashamedly at the determined, fiery, revolutionary child's ultimate sacrifice.

The Avengers watch, admiring both his physical and emotional strength as Valjean carries the unconscious Marius through the sewer. This time, no one seems to understand how Valjean can show Javert mercy, and no one seems to know how to react to Javert's suicide.

Marius and Cosette's continued love while Marius mourns makes Natasha want to throw up, though it seems to comfort Jane and Darcy.

Everyone shouts at Valjean for leaving, especially because he thinks he will only hurt his daughter's happiness. Steve is the only one that hears Bruce mutter 'you're a _dad_, _protect_ her, _love_ her, don't _leave!_' When Marius realizes it was Valjean that saved him, Thor actually says 'duh!'

As Valjean tells Cosette the truth, the tears start to run again, so by the time he joins the spirits of Fantine, the Bishop, Éponine, Gavroche, and all the revolutionaries at the holy barricade, the Earth's mightiest heroes have been reduced to bawling wrecks.

As the credits begin to roll, the Avengers stare at the TV in shock. For awhile, no one says anything. Then-

"Tony?" Bruce asks quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?!"

"Hey, you guys agreed to it!" Tony looks distraught. Dropped popcorn and used tissues cover the floor, and Jane is searching in vain for a fresh one.

"That was…" Natasha trails off.

"Rough?" Sam tries, choking.

She nods. She had sat up at some point, and Clint had cried into her hair. Now they were curled together, and Steve marveled, not for the first time, at the fact that two of the greatest assassins ever to live were such huge cuddlers. In all honesty, they all were. They were all broken, he supposed, but in different ways. They filled each other's broken pieces, and together, they were whole. That, or they needed the warmth of someone who loves them to remind themselves they were still alive. Either way, there had been more than one movie night that had ended up in one big cuddle puddle.

"It was the brothers." Thor says quietly. Everyone looks at him. "That's what got me. Those kids, the ones fighting-"

"They weren't even soldiers." Sam interjects, looking lost.

"Right." Thor agrees. "But they were brothers. And they fought, and they died, fighting for something they believed in. That's what got me." He stares at a lamp determinedly. "They were so young."

"Gavroche." Darcy moans, and everyone starts to cry again.

So that's where Pepper finds them, 3 hours later. The Avengers had fallen asleep on each other- Bruce and Steve leaning on each other, Clint and Natasha tangled together, Thor and Jane snuggled on their armchair, and Tony (having moved to the floor) leaning against his chair, Sam's head on his shoulder and Darcy's in his lap, a vacant stare on his face.

Pepper stares at the room as she steps out of the elevator. She takes it all in- the bajillion tissues and the obviously tear-stained team, the theme song of _Les Miserables_ playing from the home screen. She stares, eyes wide with shock and emotional terror, at Tony.

"You were right." He whispers. "_Les Mis_- bad idea."

***Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please review! By the way, the jumping off point for both this and one of my other one shots, Brothers, came from headcannons I saw on tumblr, so thanks to those smart people!* **


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